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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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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: spell · rash · court · wave · club · fall · stand · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. court — for sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rash — a series
  8. club — a group
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — the season
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. fall — to drop
  21. club — for dancing
  22. spell — a short time
  23. club — for golf
  24. stand — to bear

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