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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.

Make a worksheet

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: temple · hand · rock · wax · wound · present · cap · mine

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. present — a gift
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hand — help
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rock — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. present — there
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cap — of ice

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