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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: bass · saw · land · wax · temple · snap · bulb · mark

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bulb — for light
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — a grade
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — ground
  24. bass — the fish

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