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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 120 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: deal · lean · rush · wind · fall · calf · chest · stand

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fall — the season
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — thin
  17. chest — a box
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wind — moving air

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