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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: fall · wound · land · saw · cabinet · sharp · staff · deal

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — clever
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. staff — employees
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — to come down
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. fall — the season
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. saw — the tool

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