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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: firm · perch · season · temple · field · wax · capital · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. field — for sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — steady
  5. field — farmland
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — a subject
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. season — of the year
  14. firm — decided
  15. object — an aim
  16. season — in sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. object — to protest
  19. firm — a company
  20. capital — money
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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