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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 · game · wax · swing · leaves · net · spring · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. swing — to play on
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. swing — music
  11. face — to confront
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wax — to grow
  18. swing — in golf
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. spring — of water
  24. temple — side of the head

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