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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 · pound · arm · pass · cabinet · chest · straw · bulb

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chest — a box
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chest — of your body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pound — to hit hard

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