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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: mouse · band · straw · hand · temple · arm · hide · cell

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. band — a ring
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cell — in biology
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a music group
  24. straw — dry grass

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