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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chest — of your body
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spell — a short time
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. object — an aim
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. spell — letters
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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