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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · mug · wind · row · wound · can · mate · fan

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — a partner
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mug — a cup
  12. row — a line
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a document
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. row — to paddle
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wound — an injury

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