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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 · rash · foot · lean · tube · hide · temple · pitch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. foot — a measure
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pitch — completely
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wind — moving air
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lean — thin
  19. rash — a series
  20. tube — a container
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. tube — the underground

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