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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: bay · kid · game · plane · temple · band · bore · wax

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bore — to tire
  4. game — wild animals
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. band — a ring
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wax — to grow
  15. game — a match
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. band — a music group
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. plane — a tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bore — gave birth

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