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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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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: mate · capital · temple · rest · scale · bark · stock · bank

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. scale — in music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stock — goods
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — a break
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bank — of a river
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bank — for money
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mate — a friend
  20. stock — shares
  21. capital — money
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bank — for money

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