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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.

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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: bank · wake · temple · bat · content · ball · tear · scale

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — in music
  7. content — the amount
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — a trail
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bank — of a river
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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