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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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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: row · land · calf · lean · ruler · fall · wound · court

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. land — to come down
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. land — a country
  6. lean — thin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lean — to bend
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. court — of law
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — for sport
  17. land — ground
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. row — a line
  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