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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: bark · temple · fall · lash · safe · cabinet · wax · sharp

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fall — to drop

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