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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 116 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: fall · last · rush · cell · degree · wound · staff · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. last — finally
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. last — to go on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. last — final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — an amount
  24. staff — employees

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