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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: scale · fall · chest · lash · bound · temple · prune · clip

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chest — a box
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fall — the season
  10. chest — of your body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chest — of your body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. clip — a video
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. fall — to drop

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