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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. board — to get on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. board — a committee
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — a professorship

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