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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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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 · temple · wind · stick · sharp · mate · wound · rest

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — to breed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wax — to grow
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rest — a break
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mate — a partner

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