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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: hide · wind · deal · band · bound · kick · temple · file

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. deal — to handle
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — in football
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a music group
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bound — obliged
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. file — a document
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a tool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. band — a ring
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wind — moving air

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