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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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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: hand · temple · key · wake · fall · wax · fork · bowl

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fall — the season
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hand — help
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. key — in music
  24. fall — to drop

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