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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. firm — a company
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. firm — decided
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. firm — steady
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chest — a box
  24. mine — belonging to me

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