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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: scale · temple · wind · face · capital · court · bear · ruler

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. court — of a king
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of law
  17. scale — in music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. face — to confront
  22. court — for sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. temple — a place of worship

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