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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · plane · chair · hide · rest · game · temple · wake

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. game — wild animals
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rest — what's left

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