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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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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: tear · deal · wax · temple · can · spell · hand · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spell — a short time
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — a position
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — to handle
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — from crying
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wax — to grow
  24. spell — letters

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