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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
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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: chip · wind · row · bore · temple · bass · rush · wax

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — to grow
  4. row — a line
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chip — for betting

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