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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.

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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: cell · leaves · fall · deal · ground · wind · calf · bay

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ground — a position
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — in biology
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fall — the season

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