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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: kid · season · stand · hand · wound · file · calf · ruler

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. file — a tool
  3. hand — help
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. season — of the year
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kid — child
  16. file — a document
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. season — in sport

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