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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: chest · mug · hand · rash · straw · last · foot · bark

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rash — hasty
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hand — in cards
  6. last — finally
  7. mug — to rob
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. last — final
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — a series
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mug — a face
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hand — help

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