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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · kid · nail · coach · mine · temple · spring · chest

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. scale — in music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kid — child
  9. spring — the season
  10. scale — size or range
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — for digging
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chest — a box
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — of water

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