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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. current — happening now
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lean — to bend
  10. current — electric
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. court — of a king
  14. lean — thin
  15. fall — the season
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. current — of water
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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