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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: season · bat · temple · rush · bore · trunk · pop · wax

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rush — hurry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — to visit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. season — in sport
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pop — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rush — to hurry

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