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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 120 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: content · club · nail · temple · land · row · ruler · wax

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. land — to come down
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. club — a group
  6. wax — to grow
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. content — happy
  12. club — for dancing
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. club — for golf
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. land — a country
  19. row — a line
  20. land — ground
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. content — the amount

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