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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: chest · bay · bear · straw · rule · band · tear · rock

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rock — music
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a ring
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — government
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bear — to put up with

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