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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — in a road
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. present — a gift
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rash — hasty
  18. present — the time now
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rash — a series
  22. present — there
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fan — a supporter

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