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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: wake · roll · temple · net · field · wax · key · jam

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. field — for sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — a trail
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. roll — a list
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — a cake

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