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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: track · bat · fan · rush · tear · temple · wax · net

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a path
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — for catching
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. net — after costs
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — to grow
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. track — a song
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. net — in sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — the animal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — in an idiom

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