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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: drill · net · pound · wax · row · temple

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — after costs
  4. row — to paddle
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — a line
  13. net — for catching
  14. wax — to grow
  15. drill — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. 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