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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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. can — a tin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — a tin
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stem — to come from

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