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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: root · bay · wound · temple · arm · straw · chest · racket

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — the cause
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. root — of a plant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — of a word
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — a straw man

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