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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: row · game · bound · temple · saw · mark · wax · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bound — tied together
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. saw — the tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — certain
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mark — a grade
  22. row — a line
  23. wax — to grow
  24. row — a quarrel

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