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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: rule · rock · temple · wax · can · bat

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rule — a law
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rock — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — a stone
  18. temple — side of the head

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