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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: lash · straw · temple · track · cell · present · mine · chest

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mine — for digging
  8. track — a song
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. present — the time now
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. track — to keep track
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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