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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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468
Word bank
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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ball — a great time
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — employees
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kid — child
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cold — an illness
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wax — in the ear

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