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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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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: wind · race · temple · foot · staff · wave · rash · cell

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. staff — employees
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rash — a series
  8. staff — employees
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — humankind
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cell — in biology
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cell — in a prison

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