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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: arm · stock · track · bound · bank · tear · straw · kick

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — shares
  8. bound — tied together
  9. track — to keep track
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — to rip
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. track — a path
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kick — in football
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — for money
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. track — a song
  21. bound — certain
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — obliged
  24. straw — dry grass

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