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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: rash · board · last · temple · clip · staff · wax · bat

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. clip — a video
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. board — a committee
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — to go on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. last — finally
  17. rash — a series
  18. board — to get on
  19. bat — the animal
  20. staff — a stick
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rash — hasty
  23. clip — for paper
  24. last — final

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