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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spell — magic
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — letters
  24. cue — for pool

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