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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: temple · mate · fan · wind · swing · ground · rush · row

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wind — moving air
  3. swing — music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. swing — to play on
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. row — a line
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ground — the earth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fan — a supporter

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