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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. craft — boats
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — to grow
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. saw — the tool
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. sharp — clever
  20. craft — a skill
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — for digging
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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