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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 124 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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bank — for money
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. club — for golf
  6. rock — a stone
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. branch — a division
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. snap — to click
  13. bank — for money
  14. rock — music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — a group
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — a straw man

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