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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: straw · stick · mug · hand · chest · suit · fall · band

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. suit — in cards
  7. band — a ring
  8. suit — clothes
  9. band — a music group
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mug — a face
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — a cup
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chest — a box
  23. hand — help
  24. band — a rubber band

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