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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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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: wound · ground · straw · board · scale · pound · tube · present

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. board — to get on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — there
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. scale — in music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. present — the time now
  19. pound — a weight
  20. board — a committee
  21. present — a gift
  22. scale — size or range
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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