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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — an injury
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wax — to grow
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bear — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wake — a trail

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