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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: bound · scale · shower · content · fall · cap · temple · mug

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mug — a cup
  4. shower — rain
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mug — to rob
  10. content — happy
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mug — a face
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — certain
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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