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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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468
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. craft — boats
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — from a university
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. scale — in music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. lean — thin
  22. scale — size or range
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rash — on the skin

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