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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tear — from crying
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. root — the cause
  16. object — an aim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — to protest
  22. wax — to grow
  23. root — of a word
  24. object — a thing

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