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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: temple · wax · deal · rest · saw · capital · march · scale

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rest — a break
  4. scale — size or range
  5. saw — the tool
  6. capital — a city
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wax — to grow
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rest — what's left
  18. capital — money
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rest — what's left
  21. scale — in music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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