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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 · spell · cue · leaves · mine · temple · kid · straw

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — a signal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spell — magic
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. scale — size or range
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. scale — in music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. spell — letters

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