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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · field · date · stand · kid · rush · fall · calf

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. file — a tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. field — for sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. field — farmland
  18. kid — child
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. file — a document

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