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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wax — to grow
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lean — thin
  15. object — to protest
  16. chest — a box
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. object — an aim
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. object — a thing
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chest — of your body
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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