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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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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: land · present · fall · firm · ground · deal · wound · saw

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. land — a country
  4. present — the time now
  5. wound — an injury
  6. firm — decided
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — crushed
  11. land — ground
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fall — the season
  14. present — a gift
  15. ground — a position
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. firm — steady
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — to come down
  20. firm — a company
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. saw — the tool

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