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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
468
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: plane · press · wax · leaves · temple · snap · rash · bay

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. press — a publisher
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — a series
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. plane — a tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. press — newspapers
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. press — to push

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