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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. present — there
  7. degree — temperature
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — in music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. roll — a list
  15. bound — certain
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. present — a gift
  18. scale — size or range
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. present — the time now
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — from a university

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