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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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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: leaves · wound · scale · rock · mate · coach · temple · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mate — a friend
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rock — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — a partner
  17. scale — in music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rock — a stone
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  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