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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — a price
  7. capital — a city
  8. charge — electricity
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fall — the season
  15. capital — money
  16. wax — to grow
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. charge — in control
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tube — a container

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