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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: face · straw · spell · fine · land · fall · march · stand

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — to come down
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spell — letters
  8. march — the month
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. land — a country
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fall — the season
  15. face — to confront
  16. land — ground
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fine — all right
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fine — high quality

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