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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: straw · foot · prune · mark · craft · ground · rest · rule

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rest — what's left
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rule — government
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. craft — boats
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. foot — a measure
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ground — a position
  15. rest — a break
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rule — a law
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. ground — crushed
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rule — to rule out

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