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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spell — letters
  3. fine — all right
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. object — an aim
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. object — to protest
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. object — a thing
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mark — a trace
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spell — magic
  24. date — on the calendar

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