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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chest — of your body
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mug — a face
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — of a river
  15. chest — a box
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com