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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 · shower · snap · object · sharp · fan · land · wax

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. shower — rain
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wax — to grow
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. land — to come down
  9. snap — to click
  10. sharp — clever
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. object — an aim
  16. land — ground
  17. object — to protest
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. object — a thing
  24. fan — a supporter

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