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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.

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 · wax · band · fine · fan · racket · cue · mate

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — a friend
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mate — to breed
  15. band — a music group
  16. fine — high quality
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cue — a hint
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fine — all right
  24. racket — a loud noise

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