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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
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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: fan · spell · net · snap · firm · temple · wax · content

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — decided
  5. spell — magic
  6. content — the amount
  7. firm — a company
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. firm — steady
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. content — happy
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. net — in sport
  15. spell — a short time
  16. snap — to click
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — to grow
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — letters

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