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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: tube · wax · wind · kid · game · saw · rule · temple

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wax — to grow
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rule — government
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tube — the underground
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rule — a law
  20. tube — a container
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — a match

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