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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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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 · club · object · temple · wax · chest

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. object — an aim
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. club — for dancing
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. object — to protest
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. club — for golf
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — a law
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. object — a thing
  16. rule — government
  17. club — a group
  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