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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · bear · spring · capital · date · last · wax · temple

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bear — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — finally
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rock — a stone
  8. spring — a coil
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — of water
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. last — final
  15. spring — the season
  16. capital — money
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rock — music
  22. capital — a city
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. date — the fruit

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