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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: hide · chest · bear · straw · bay · dip · arm · saw

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bear — the animal

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