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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. last — finally
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. track — a song
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. track — a path
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. last — final
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kick — in football
  22. wax — to grow
  23. last — to go on
  24. track — to keep track

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