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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: wound · root · squash · bound · temple · rush · wax · mate

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — certain
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mate — a friend
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wound — an injury
  17. root — the cause
  18. mate — to breed
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mate — a partner
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wax — for sculpting

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