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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: rest · wax · object · shower · pop · temple · present · bore

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rest — a break
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — to drill
  5. object — an aim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. shower — to wash
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — to protest
  11. present — there
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — to tire
  14. object — a thing
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. present — the time now
  20. pop — music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pop — soda
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bore — gave birth

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