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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 120 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 · lash · perch · straw · track · hide · degree · bound

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bound — tied together
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — temperature
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. perch — the fish
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. chest — a box

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