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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: wind · drill · wound · bass · hide · suit · track · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. track — a path
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bass — low music
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kick — in football
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bass — the fish
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a song
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — clothes
  24. track — to keep track

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