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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: wax · chair · temple · cap · net · cell · bulb · mine

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. net — in sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — after costs
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. net — for catching
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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