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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: toast · scale · tear · hand · temple · wound · branch · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tear — to rip
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. scale — in music
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. toast — bread
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. scale — size or range
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. temple — a place of worship

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