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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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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: stick · tear · pound · calf · roll · scale · bat · temple

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. scale — in music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. scale — size or range
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bat — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. temple — a place of worship

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