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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mark — a trace
  12. field — farmland
  13. face — to confront
  14. spell — a short time
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — a subject
  20. bank — for money
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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