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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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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 · race · wax · object · face · foot · chip · wake

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — to grow
  4. object — an aim
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. object — to protest
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chip — for betting
  9. face — part of the head
  10. race — the arms race
  11. object — a thing
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. race — humankind
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wake — a trail
  22. foot — a measure
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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