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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: nail · content · leaves · spring · wax · charge · temple · bat

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spring — the season
  14. charge — a price
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. content — happy
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. charge — in control

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