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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.

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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: mate · wind · wake · plane · temple · pit · hand · fork

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pit — a hole
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hand — in cards
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mate — a partner
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — help
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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