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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: jam · wax · field · club · coach · sharp · temple · kid

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — clever
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — for dancing
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. club — for golf
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. club — a group
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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