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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: ground · rest · bay · bound · bear · prune · fork · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ground — a position
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rest — a break
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bound — certain
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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