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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 120 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: lean · land · leaves · scale · rest · temple · pop · bore

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bore — to tire
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — a country
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. land — to come down
  14. lean — thin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. land — ground
  19. scale — in music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — soda
  23. bore — gave birth
  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