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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · trunk · bay · chest · coach · wax · game · net

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — a match
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. net — after costs
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. game — wild animals

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