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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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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: stand · leaves · dip · cell · fall · rash · game · wind

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — a phone
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stand — to bear
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — a series
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — 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