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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bank — for money
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — in music
  7. plane — a tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. shower — rain
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. scale — size or range
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — a subject
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. row — to paddle

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