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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: face · wound · last · bay · dip · row · straw · chest

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. row — to paddle
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. last — final
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chest — of your body
  16. last — to go on
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — finally
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — a line
  21. face — to confront
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. face — to point toward

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