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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.

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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: temple · wax · fall · chest · mate · field · mug · net

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — to breed
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chest — a box
  7. fall — the season
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. field — farmland
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — after costs
  16. mug — a face
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. field — a subject
  19. mug — a cup
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. field — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chest — of your body

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