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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: spring · temple · bank · sharp · content · wax · land · net

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bank — for money
  3. land — ground
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bank — for money
  6. content — the amount
  7. net — for catching
  8. land — to come down
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spring — the season
  11. bank — of a river
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. land — a country
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. net — in sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spring — a coil
  19. content — happy
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. spring — of water
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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