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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: temple · snap · dip · season · land · lash · present · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. present — there
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. snap — to click
  7. season — in sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. land — to come down
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. present — a gift
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — the time now
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. land — ground
  20. season — of the year
  21. land — a country
  22. dip — to sink
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. season — to add flavour

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