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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: firm · net · rash · fall · calf · wound · stem · deal

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — a series
  4. stem — to come from
  5. net — after costs
  6. fall — to drop
  7. firm — steady
  8. net — for catching
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. firm — a company
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — in sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. firm — decided
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — to handle
  24. calf — a young animal

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