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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: drill · wind · temple · file · stand · bound · mug · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. file — a document
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — certain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — a practice
  14. file — a tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — 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