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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · mine · face · bass · shower · temple · cap · stem

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. face — to confront
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bass — low music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wax — to grow
  14. face — to point toward
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mine — for digging
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stem — to come from
  22. shower — rain
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mine — belonging to me

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