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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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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 · track · ruler · vault · wax · firm · mine · tear

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. firm — steady
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. firm — decided
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. firm — a company
  8. mine — for digging
  9. track — to keep track
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a song
  24. temple — side of the head

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