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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
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: degree · chair · bore · temple · mug · scale · rash · wake

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. mug — a face
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wake — a trail
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. scale — in music
  15. mug — to rob
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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