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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. can — to be able to
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bank — for money
  6. can — a tin
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. bank — for money
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bank — of a river
  13. can — a tin
  14. board — to get on
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. last — final
  17. dip — to sink
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. board — a committee
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — in sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. last — finally

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