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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: rule · ground · staff · straw · branch · hand · bear · lean

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. staff — a stick
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. rule — government
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — help
  21. lean — thin
  22. rule — a law
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — the animal

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