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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: mug · pitcher · file · foot · ground · temple · wound · wax

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mug — a cup
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — the earth
  10. file — a line of people
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a tool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a document
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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