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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: temple · last · land · hide · mark · wax · bulb · lean

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. last — to go on
  5. land — ground
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lean — thin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mark — a grade
  16. last — finally
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — final
  23. land — to come down
  24. hide — to keep secret

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