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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: rush · stand · wound · fall · scale · wave · ground · lie

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fall — to drop
  16. scale — in music
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — a position
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fall — the season

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