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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. present — a gift
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. present — the time now
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. capital — a city
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. present — there
  23. capital — money
  24. cell — in biology

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