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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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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: scale · bear · date · snap · fall · mate · temple · straw

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. scale — in music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fall — the season
  7. snap — to click
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — the fruit
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mate — a partner
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fall — to drop
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mate — to breed
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. scale — for weighing
  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