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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: rock · snap · row · wind · can · bear · fall · ground

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fall — the season
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — a position
  9. snap — to click
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rock — music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fall — to drop

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