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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: patient · land · bank · fall · stand · swing · drill · spring

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fall — the season
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — to play on
  13. drill — army training
  14. land — ground
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spring — of water
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. swing — in golf
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bank — of a river
  22. spring — the season
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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