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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. band — a music group
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a ring
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bark — to shout
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the fish
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. staff — employees
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bass — low music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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