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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: rest · temple · scale · clip · lash · object · tear · tube

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. tear — to rip
  4. clip — for paper
  5. object — an aim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tube — a container
  12. scale — size or range
  13. object — a thing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — to protest
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — to cut
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tube — the underground
  23. scale — in music
  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