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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: pass · wax · bulb · temple · cold · mate · clip · fan

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — a video
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. clip — for paper
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — a permit
  24. temple — a place of worship

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