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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: wound · court · snap · wax · bear · lean · leaves · temple

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. court — for sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. court — of law
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. snap — to click
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. leaves — to go away

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