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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.

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: tube · wind · face · scale · temple · row · mug · nail

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. tube — a container
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. scale — size or range
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mug — to rob
  11. row — a line
  12. face — to point toward
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. scale — in music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — a face
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — a quarrel

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