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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cold — an illness
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — the amount
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — not warm
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. field — a subject
  15. content — happy
  16. field — farmland
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — for sport
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. arm — a part of something

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