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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: pass · spell · wax · tear · date · fork · ball · temple

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spell — letters
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. spell — a short time
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wax — to grow
  21. spell — magic
  22. pass — a permit
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. temple — a place of worship

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