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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a music group
  4. wind — moving air
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cold — not warm
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. present — the time now
  11. fall — the season
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. present — there
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. suit — clothes
  16. rash — hasty
  17. band — a ring
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — a series
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fall — to drop
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wind — to turn a key

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