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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
468
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: pound · temple · bat · wax · drill · net · stand · fan

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. net — after costs

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