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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. deal — to handle
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. branch — a division
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fork — in a road
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fork — to eat with

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