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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: wind · firm · rule · lash · fall · wound · stand · hide

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rule — government
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. firm — decided
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. firm — a company
  18. rule — a law
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. firm — steady

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