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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.

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: band · kid · scale · rash · temple · wound · spring · leaves

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rash — hasty
  4. scale — size or range
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rash — a series
  7. spring — the season
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kid — to tease
  14. band — a music group
  15. scale — in music
  16. spring — of water
  17. kid — child
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a ring

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