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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: coach · shower · kick · temple · foot · bound · season · scale

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — size or range
  7. foot — a measure
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — tied together
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — in music
  24. season — in sport

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