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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — rain
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. shower — to wash
  10. saw — the tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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