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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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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 · wax · leaves · tube · field · shower · saw · dip

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. tube — a container
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. field — farmland
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. dip — to sink
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. dip — to dunk

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