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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: net · bear · hand · stand · rash · game · tear · leaves

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — wild animals
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — after costs
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hand — help
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bear — the animal

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