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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: ground · bound · ruler · arm · toast · file · straw · bear

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. file — a tool
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bound — certain
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. file — a document
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bear — the animal
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ruler — for measuring

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