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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: temple · fine · present · scale · fall · spring · net · wax

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. scale — size or range
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wax — to grow
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. net — after costs
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — the season
  13. fine — all right
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. net — for catching
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. scale — in music
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fine — high quality
  22. present — a gift
  23. spring — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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