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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: wax · rule · hide · last · ground · shower · temple · roll

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. roll — a cake
  5. last — final
  6. roll — a list
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rule — a law
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. last — finally
  17. ground — crushed
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. shower — rain
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rule — government
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ground — a position
  24. hide — to keep secret

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