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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · arm · fall · wound · pitcher · mine · pop · file

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fall — the season
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  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