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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: date · wax · mug · temple · drill · field · bound · hand

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mug — a face
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — to rob
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — tied together
  9. drill — the tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. drill — army training
  13. hand — help
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. field — a subject
  20. drill — a practice
  21. field — for sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mug — a cup

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