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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: tear · craft · arm · straw · firm · stand · pound · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tear — from crying
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. firm — steady
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bat — for baseball

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