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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 120 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: bore · rest · stick · cabinet · lash · temple · scale · branch

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. branch — a division
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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