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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: saw · leaves · court · bore · lean · temple · shower · wax

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — to bend
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bore — to tire
  11. shower — rain
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. court — of law
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lean — thin
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bore — to drill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. court — of a king

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