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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 120 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 · march · net · pass · nail · band · wax

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. march — the month
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. band — a ring
  6. march — music
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. net — for catching
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wax — to grow
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pass — a permit
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. game — a match
  20. band — a music group
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — in sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. nail — for a hammer

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