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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: temple · kid · rule · capital · wax · lie · snap · stem

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rule — government
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rule — a law
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. kid — child
  8. snap — to click
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. capital — money
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — to come from

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