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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. root — the cause
  5. hand — help
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hand — in cards
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bank — of a river
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rock — music
  15. shower — rain
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. root — of a word
  21. bank — for money
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. plane — a tool
  24. root — of a plant

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