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

Word bank: kid · pit · wax · stick · shower · temple

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — to grow
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. shower — to wash
  10. kid — child
  11. shower — rain
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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