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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chest — a box
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chest — of your body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. temple — a place of worship

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