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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: bowl · firm · temple · saw · foot · sharp · mark · wax

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mark — a trace
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. firm — decided
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wax — to grow
  13. saw — the tool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. saw — the tool

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