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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 120 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: net · ball · wax · perch · plane · swing · temple · bore

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ball — a dance
  6. perch — the fish
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bore — to tire
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bore — to drill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. net — after costs
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. plane — a tool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — for catching
  23. swing — in golf
  24. plane — an aircraft

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