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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: branch · scale · temple · ball · hide · land · rest · wake

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — to come down
  11. rest — a break
  12. scale — in music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ball — a dance
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. land — a country
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. scale — size or range
  24. land — ground

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