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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: wax · shower · temple · leaves · cold · arm · spring · mate

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. spring — the season
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — of water
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mate — a partner
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — to breed
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. leaves — to go away

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