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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: temple · rush · arm · bat · mug · roll · wax · last

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. last — final
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. last — to go on
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bat — the animal
  8. roll — a list
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — finally
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. arm — part of the body

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