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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. wake — a trail
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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