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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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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: fan · stand · fork · rock · temple · squash · spell · wind

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fork — in a road
  6. spell — magic
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rock — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spell — letters
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wind — moving air
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rock — a stone

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