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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: season · root · wake · rash · scale · bat · temple · ball

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a great time
  3. root — of a word
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — of the year
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. root — of a plant
  10. scale — size or range
  11. season — in sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. root — the cause
  14. rash — a series
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. scale — in music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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