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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — steady
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. sharp — clever
  7. net — for catching
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. land — to come down
  12. tear — from crying
  13. land — a country
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — to rip
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rock — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rock — a stone

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