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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: spell · wind · rush · ground · temple · jam · fork · fan

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. ground — a position
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spell — letters
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ground — crushed
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. jam — in traffic

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