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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: fall · band · deal · rash · hide · stock · season · file

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. band — a music group
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — the season
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. season — of the year
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — goods
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fall — to drop
  20. season — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. band — a ring
  23. file — a tool
  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