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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to drill
  7. scale — size or range
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — to grow
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stem — to come from
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. scale — in music

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