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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 · scale · bass · kid · face · lean

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lean — thin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bass — low music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kid — to tease
  14. scale — size or range
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kid — child
  17. lean — to bend
  18. scale — in music

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