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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: firm · scale · ball · fall · straw · fork · ground · land

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — the earth
  4. firm — a company
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fall — the season
  16. firm — decided
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. firm — steady
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. ball — a dance
  22. scale — in music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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