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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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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: dip · spring · safe · straw · arm · hand · wind · club

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. hand — in cards
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hand — help
  14. club — a group
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — for golf
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. dip — a sauce

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