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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: deal · rock · calf · wind · hand · stand · rest · fall

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rock — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rest — a break
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rock — to move gently

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