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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: cell · march · arm · straw · coach · nail · lie · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lie — to recline

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