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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: net · track · saw · rash · mark · temple · board · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. track — to keep track
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. board — to get on
  10. net — after costs
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a song
  15. net — in sport
  16. track — a path
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — for catching
  21. board — a committee
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — the tool

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