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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
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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: perch · rush · jam · wax · present · temple · bound · kid

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bound — certain
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bound — tied together
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — a gift
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wax — to grow

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