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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: game · fall · last · temple · straw · wax · bark · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — to go on
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — final
  7. fall — the season
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — a match
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. last — finally
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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