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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 · bear · rest · safe · pound · board · deal · chest

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bear — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rest — a break
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. board — a committee
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bear — the animal
  23. board — to get on
  24. pound — to hit hard

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