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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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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: spell · safe · wound · bank · straw · chest · cell · arm

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — letters
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spell — magic
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cell — in biology
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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