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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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. foot — the bottom
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. present — the time now
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — there
  16. net — for catching
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. net — after costs
  19. saw — the tool
  20. net — in sport
  21. foot — a measure
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — a gift
  24. stand — to bear

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