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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: straw · last · face · mug · arm · nail · temple · bound

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — final
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — certain
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — to go on
  12. face — to confront
  13. bound — obliged
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — finally
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bound — tied together
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mug — a face
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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