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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: temple · board · row · scale · clip · club · tear · can

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. can — a tin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — for paper
  6. board — a committee
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. scale — size or range
  10. club — for dancing
  11. clip — a video
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. club — a group
  17. can — to be able to
  18. clip — to cut
  19. board — to get on
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — a line
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. row — to paddle

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