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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: temple · wax · nail · field · cabinet · charge · straw · game

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — farmland
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. field — a subject
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wax — to grow
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. charge — in control
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. field — for sport
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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