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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — of water
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — for sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. court — of a king
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. court — of law
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wax — to grow
  23. kick — in football
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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