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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: saw · deal · ball · stand · fall · field · wound · rash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fall — the season
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. field — a subject
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ball — a great time
  14. field — for sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stand — to bear
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fall — to drop

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