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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: bear · mine · content · lash · temple · net · cap · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. content — happy
  5. net — after costs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cap — a hat
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — for catching
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. content — the amount
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cap — a lid
  23. net — in sport
  24. content — videos and posts

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