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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 120 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
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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: wound · staff · temple · trunk · degree · wax · drill · plane

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — to grow
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — from a university
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — a stick
  18. drill — a practice
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. degree — temperature
  22. plane — a tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — an injury

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