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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: content · scale · temple · band · leaves · pit · degree · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — size or range
  7. band — a music group
  8. degree — from a university
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pit — a hole
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. scale — in music
  16. pit — in a race
  17. degree — an amount
  18. band — a ring
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. degree — temperature
  24. temple — side of the head

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