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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: shower · mug · vault · wax · cell · date · temple · wind

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. date — the fruit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — rain
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wind — to turn a key

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