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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
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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: file · dip · tube · wound · wind · temple · squash · game

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — wild animals
  15. squash — to crush
  16. file — a document
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — a match
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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