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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.

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: wax · straw · tube · row · mate · fine · temple · march

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tube — a container
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mate — to breed
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. wax — for sculpting

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