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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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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: wax · saw · cell · temple · mate · racket · capital · lash

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — a city
  8. mate — to breed
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. capital — money
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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