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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: wind · lean · arm · suit · toast · wound · ruler · ground

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. suit — to fit
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. toast — bread
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wind — moving air

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