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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 120 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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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 · lie · wind · wound · foot · file · kid · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wind — moving air
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — child
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. foot — part of the body

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