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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · temple · ground · ball · wax · dip · band · fall

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — a position
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. ball — a great time
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bank — for money
  18. fall — the season
  19. bank — for money
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bank — of a river
  24. ground — the earth

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