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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. prune — to trim
  12. plane — a tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ball — a great time
  24. plane — an aircraft

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