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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: wind · net · spring · spell · wax · foot · firm · temple

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — after costs
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. firm — decided
  6. spring — of water
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spell — magic
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. firm — steady
  19. spell — letters
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. spring — the season
  22. spell — a short time
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — to turn a key

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