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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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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: club · suit · ball · spring · firm · straw · pound · ground

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. firm — decided
  5. ball — a dance
  6. suit — to fit
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for golf
  10. suit — in cards
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pound — a weight
  16. firm — a company
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ground — a position
  19. firm — steady
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spring — of water
  22. suit — clothes
  23. club — a group
  24. spring — the season

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