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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 120 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: clip · temple · racket · scale · spell · land · current · march

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. scale — in music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spell — magic
  5. march — the month
  6. land — to come down
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. current — of water
  10. march — music
  11. land — a country
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — a short time
  16. land — ground
  17. current — happening now
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — letters
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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