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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — thin
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — to rob
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fork — in a road
  24. temple — side of the head

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