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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. present — the time now
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. present — there
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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