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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 116 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: wind · lie · ground · trunk · ruler · squash · straw · march

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. squash — to crush
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — a position
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — to recline
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. march — music

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