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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: tube · rock · clip · saw · scale · temple · ruler · capital

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. rock — music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. scale — in music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. capital — money
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. scale — size or range

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