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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: land · calf · wind · saw · roll · fall · drill · bear

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. land — ground
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — to drop
  10. drill — a practice
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. land — to come down
  14. fall — the season
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. drill — army training
  19. roll — a list
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  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