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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.

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: wax · root · net · nail · chest · temple · object · capital

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. object — a thing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — of a plant
  6. object — an aim
  7. net — after costs
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. root — of a word
  11. chest — a box
  12. net — in sport
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. net — for catching
  15. object — to protest
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — money
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chest — of your body
  21. root — the cause
  22. chest — of your body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. capital — a city

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