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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: ball · present · hand · wax · lash · lean · temple · ground

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — to grow
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lean — thin
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — help
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ground — a position
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ground — the earth
  21. present — there
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ground — crushed
  24. hand — part of the body

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