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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · temple · key · wake · fall · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. 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. wax — for sculpting
  2. key — the most important part
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fall — to drop
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. key — for a lock
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — the season
  11. hand — help
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. key — in music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. 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