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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: scale · mate · kid · fall · temple · rock · ruler · tube

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rock — a stone
  5. scale — in music
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fall — to drop
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — child
  10. tube — a container
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fall — the season
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mate — a partner
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mate — to breed
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — the underground
  24. kid — to tease

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