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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: fall · fan · content · wound · mug · deal · stand · bear

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. content — happy
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fall — the season
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mug — a face

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