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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: rock · wax · march · can · temple · foot · chest · last

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — finally
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — final
  7. chest — a box
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rock — music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chest — of your body
  15. march — the month
  16. can — to be able to
  17. foot — a measure
  18. last — to go on
  19. march — the month
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — music
  24. foot — the bottom

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