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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · wound · kick · suit · nail · mine · last · wind

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. last — finally
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. last — to go on
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. kick — in football
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. last — final
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rush — hurry

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