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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · leaves · temple · file · mouse · wax · sharp · fine

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. file — a tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fine — all right
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fine — high quality
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. file — a document
  18. ground — a position
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. sharp — clever

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