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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wake · bear · cold · wax · branch · ball · temple · cabinet

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. branch — a division
  14. bear — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ball — a great time
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cabinet — ministers

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