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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: file · trunk · wind · temple · rush · current · fine · spell

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. file — a tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. current — of water
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — a short time
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — happening now
  16. rush — hurry
  17. file — a document
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. current — electric
  20. spell — letters
  21. fine — all right
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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