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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: tube · wax · court · rush · rash · march · stem · temple

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. tube — a container
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — of a king
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of law
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wax — to grow
  9. court — for sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — hasty
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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