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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: ruler · lie · ground · tear · straw · cell

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ground — a position
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cell — in biology
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — a monarch

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