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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: pound · patient · bore · branch · wax · shower · wind · temple

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. branch — a division
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — moving air
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. shower — to wash
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bore — to drill
  22. shower — rain
  23. pound — a weight
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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