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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 · land · fine · kid · temple · stand · arm · shower

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — to come down
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — rain
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wax — to grow
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. kid — child
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. land — ground
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stand — to bear

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