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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: fall · rock · rest · band · firm · rule · shower · swing

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rock — a stone
  6. firm — decided
  7. rest — a break
  8. rule — a law
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. swing — music
  11. fall — the season
  12. swing — to play on
  13. shower — rain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — government
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a ring
  20. rock — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. firm — a company
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rest — what's left

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