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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: capital · lean · bank · drill · temple · scale · chest · kid

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bank — of a river
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. capital — a city
  8. kid — child
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bank — for money
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — money
  14. bank — for money
  15. drill — army training
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. drill — a practice
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lean — thin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — to tease

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