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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bound — certain
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wax — to grow
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — obliged
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ball — a dance
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stem — to come from
  22. game — wild animals
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. calf — a young animal

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