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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. swing — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — in golf
  10. degree — temperature
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. plane — a tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bulb — for light
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. degree — an amount
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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