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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: present · ground · lean · fork · ruler · chest · nail · pound

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lean — thin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. present — the time now
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — a position
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fork — in a road
  19. present — there
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. present — a gift
  24. pound — for dogs

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