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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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Word bank
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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: arm · chest · straw · spring · foot · bank · hand · stick

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. bank — for money
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spring — of water
  5. bank — of a river
  6. hand — help
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — the season
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — a box
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. spring — a coil
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bank — for money
  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