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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cue — a hint
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — a gift
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. band — a ring
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ball — a great time
  23. band — a music group
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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