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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: stick · object · spring · ground · face · fall · last · calf

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — a coil
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — part of the head
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. fall — the season
  21. object — to protest
  22. ground — the earth
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — the season

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