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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: spring · temple · net · charge · rock · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. charge — a price
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — in control
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. net — for catching
  14. rock — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wax — to grow
  18. temple — side of the head

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