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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 · temple · toast · mate · clip · tube · craft · march

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. clip — for paper
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mate — a partner
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a friend
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — to grow
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — the underground
  12. toast — bread
  13. mate — to breed
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — a container
  19. craft — a skill
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — to cut
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. clip — a video

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