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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. root — of a plant
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. vault — a safe
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wax — to grow
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pop — music
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to click
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. temple — a place of worship

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