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

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. wind — moving air
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cap — a hat
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. scale — in music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fork — in a road
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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