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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bound — tied together
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — of the year
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bound — certain
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a partner
  19. deal — to handle
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — in sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. temple — a place of worship

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