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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: cold · temple · hide · rush · saw · wound · board · fan

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. board — a committee
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cold — an illness
  22. board — to get on
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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