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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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Word bank
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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: straw · lean · ground · toast · hand · stock · wake · lie

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stock — shares
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — a position
  14. stock — goods
  15. toast — bread
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ground — the earth
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hand — help
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. hand — in cards

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