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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: object · fork · dip · present · rest · ground · straw · fall

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rest — a break
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ground — the earth
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — the season
  10. fork — in a road
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — to protest
  16. present — there
  17. rest — what's left
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. object — a thing
  21. present — the time now
  22. ground — a position
  23. fall — to drop
  24. present — a gift

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