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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: track · patient · season · perch · mine · saw · temple · scale

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. saw — the tool
  6. track — a song
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — for digging
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. season — of the year
  16. track — to keep track
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. season — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. season — to add flavour

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