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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: fine · mate · temple · wax · bowl · mine · jam · bark

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mate — to breed
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fine — all right
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. jam — a tight spot

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