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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
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: bowl · craft · present · rush · wind · mine · wound · net

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. net — in sport
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. net — after costs
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. present — the time now
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — boats
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wound — an injury
  21. net — for catching
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — belonging to me

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