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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: pound · drill · pass · trunk · wax · row · press · temple

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pound — a weight
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. drill — a practice
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. press — to push
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. drill — the tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pass — a permit
  19. drill — army training
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. row — a line

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