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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. staff — employees
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. race — the arms race
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. race — a contest
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. staff — employees
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. hand — in cards
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. race — humankind
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hand — help
  21. branch — a division
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rock — to move gently

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