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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: perch · temple · date · hand · wax · bound · bat · lie

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. date — the fruit
  3. hand — help
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lie — to recline
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. temple — side of the head
  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