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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · trunk · rock · temple · game · kid · march · leaves

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — a match
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. march — music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. kid — child
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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