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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: wind · fan · wake · temple · jam · calf · firm · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. firm — steady
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. firm — decided
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — of the year
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. firm — a company
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. wake — a trail

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