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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: stock · ground · ruler · wind · nail · present · board · arm

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. present — a gift
  3. stock — goods
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — a committee
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. ground — a position

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