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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: rest · hand · object · board · tear · straw · last · bank

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. last — final
  4. tear — from crying
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bank — of a river
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. board — a committee
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. last — to go on
  18. rest — a break
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bank — for money
  22. hand — help
  23. rest — what's left
  24. last — finally

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