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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: bay · fan · temple · wake · cold · suit · rock · wind

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rock — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — a trail
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. suit — clothes

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