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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 116 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: wind · fall · deal · calf · rest · club · bore · season

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — a break
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — to handle
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — the season
  15. club — a group
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. club — for golf
  19. season — of the year
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bore — to drill

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