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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: fall · nail · temple · capital · jam · rest · scale · wind

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. capital — money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. fall — to drop
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fall — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. scale — size or range
  23. capital — a city
  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