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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: craft · scale · wake · band · temple · lash · vault · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. scale — size or range
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. craft — a skill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. craft — boats
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. scale — in music

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