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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — to grow
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. band — a music group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. foot — a measure
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. craft — a skill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a ring
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. foot — part of the body

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