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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: arm · straw · bank · patient · hide · ball

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — of a river
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. ball — a dance
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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