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

Word bank: kid · foot · chest · last · wave · stand · bore · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bore — to tire
  5. kid — child
  6. last — finally
  7. chest — a box
  8. bore — to drill
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. last — to go on
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stand — to bear
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. last — final
  24. stand — on your feet

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