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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 · stem · mark · kid · firm · sharp · mate · wax

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. firm — steady
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — a friend
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — to come from
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. firm — decided
  15. mark — a grade
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wax — to grow
  20. firm — a company
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mate — to breed

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