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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.

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: scale · temple · leaves · wound · pass · lean · rule · net

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — after costs
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lean — thin
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — for catching
  14. rule — government
  15. lean — to bend
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — a law
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rule — to rule out

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