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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: suit · arm · bound · branch · mark · chest · straw · mine

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chest — a box
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. branch — a division
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — for digging
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

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