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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: wind · temple · chest · tube · safe · lash · branch · fan

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — a division
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — a box
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tube — the underground
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — a container
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lash — to lash out

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