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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — a position
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. craft — boats
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lean — to bend
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pound — a weight
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spring — the season
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — of water
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ground — the earth

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