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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: shower · rush · mark · temple · present · wax · craft · hand

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — a skill
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mark — a trace
  10. present — a gift
  11. craft — boats
  12. present — there
  13. shower — rain
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — a grade
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. temple — a place of worship

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