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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: tear · wax · club · present · kick · chest · temple · last

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. club — for dancing
  3. present — the time now
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — to go on
  6. club — a group
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. club — for golf
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. last — final
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. tear — from crying
  22. last — finally
  23. wax — to grow
  24. temple — a place of worship

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