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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — for money
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pit — a hole
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a ring
  19. bank — for money
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rush — hurry

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