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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: band · temple · scale · chair · march · rule

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. march — music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rule — a law
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a music group
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a ring
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — the month
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rule — government
  18. chair — to sit on

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