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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: rest · bowl · field · fall · wind · stand

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rest — a break
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fall — the season
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stand — to bear
  11. field — farmland
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — a subject
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — for sport

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