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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 120 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: rule · land · bulb · bound · race · arm · wax · temple

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. land — to come down
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. race — a contest
  10. rule — government
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — certain
  18. land — a country
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. race — humankind
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — a law
  24. wax — to grow

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