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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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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: bear · pit · temple · wind · root · wound · cue · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pit — in a race
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — the cause
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — for pool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. wind — to turn a key

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