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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 120 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: wax · stand · drill · last · temple · ball · lie · trunk

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. drill — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. drill — army training
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. last — to go on
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stand — to bear

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