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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.

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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. band — a music group
  3. scale — in music
  4. spell — a short time
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — letters
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — magic
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. scale — size or range
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to sink
  14. band — a ring
  15. perch — the fish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. scale — for weighing

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