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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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 — in the ear
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bank — for money
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. staff — employees
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pit — in a race
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bank — for money
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. content — happy
  21. pit — a hole
  22. staff — employees
  23. bank — of a river
  24. content — the amount

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