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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · scale · bass · cold · straw · temple · plane · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cold — an illness
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bass — low music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. plane — a tool
  21. roll — a list
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. straw — dry grass

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