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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 · fan · bat · leaves · temple · bark · cue · mate

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mate — a partner
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cue — for pool

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