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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: rest · straw · bay · ball · fan · ground · chest · branch

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ball — a dance
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chest — a box
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ground — a position
  24. rest — a break

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