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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: mate · wax · tear · bark · cabinet · game · land · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — ground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — to come down
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — a country
  23. game — a match
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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