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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: bass · temple · lash · wax · file · perch · kid · net

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — in sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bass — low music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — the fish
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. perch — the fish
  20. file — a tool
  21. kid — child
  22. net — after costs
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. file — a document

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