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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bear · chair · wind · tube · sharp · scale · temple · club

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — a container
  16. chair — a leader
  17. club — a group
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. club — for golf
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — for dancing

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