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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: rule · ground · stock · perch · calf · wind · fall · rash

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — a law
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stock — shares
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — goods
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fall — the season
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. ground — a position

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