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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. firm — decided
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. firm — steady
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. toast — bread
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tube — a container
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. firm — a company
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — help
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. field — for sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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