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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: sharp · wax · dip · tear · pop · temple · lie · can

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pop — soda
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lie — to recline
  24. sharp — exactly

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