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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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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: fall · stand · fan · calf · coach · shower · nail · deal

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fall — to drop
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. fall — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stand — on your feet

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