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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · wound · pass · mine · season · temple · scale · kick

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — letters
  9. scale — in music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — in sport
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — size or range
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pass — to succeed
  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