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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: staff · land · temple · bound · wind · mark · ruler · kid

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mark — a grade
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. staff — a stick
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kid — to tease
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kid — child
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. land — a country
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bound — tied together

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