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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: temple · hand · patient · plane · wax · cap

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cap — a lid
  4. hand — in cards
  5. plane — a tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cap — a hat
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wax — to grow

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