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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 120 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: bound · fall · calf · wake · deal · wound · race · current

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bound — tied together
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — happening now
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bound — obliged
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. race — humankind
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fall — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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