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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 120 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: fan · calf · temple · wound · mug · wind · bore · chair

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bore — to tire
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a face
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — a professorship

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