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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: content · field · lean · wax · club · temple · prune · net

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lean — to bend
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. content — the amount
  6. club — for golf
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — in sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — after costs
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. content — happy
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — farmland
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lean — thin
  21. club — a group
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — for catching
  24. club — for dancing

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