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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — the cause
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. last — to go on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. root — of a plant
  13. last — finally
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — final
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mine — belonging to me

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