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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: temple · wax · spring · chest · band · row · rush · bulb

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. band — a ring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. spring — of water
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. row — a line
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. spring — the season

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