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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · file · object · rush · deal · fall · land · swing

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fall — the season
  4. file — a document
  5. land — to come down
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rush — hurry
  12. swing — in golf
  13. land — a country
  14. swing — music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. deal — to handle
  24. object — a thing

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