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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · temple · scale · chest · mine · fan · wave · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — in music
  3. rash — a series
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mine — for digging
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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