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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 · chest · branch · chip · scale · object · wound · content

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. content — the amount
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. content — happy
  5. branch — a division
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chip — to eat
  10. object — to protest
  11. chest — of your body
  12. object — an aim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chest — a box
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. scale — in music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. object — a thing
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. branch — of a tree

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