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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 · straw · net · wax · can · sharp · lash · content

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. net — for catching
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — clever
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — to be able to
  15. content — happy
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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