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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 120 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
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: scale · bark · temple · bore · fall · mate · ground · land

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — in music
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fall — the season
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mate — a friend
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ground — a position
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. temple — side of the head

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