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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: staff · temple · court · bore · can · sharp · mate · wax

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mate — a partner
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. can — a tin
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. court — of law
  19. wax — to grow
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of a king
  24. can — to be able to

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