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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · cue · wind · firm · season · land · fall · can

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — decided
  7. fall — the season
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. firm — a company
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — for pool
  15. land — a country
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. firm — steady
  19. land — ground
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — of the year
  24. can — to be able to

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