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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mug · scale · temple · mine · march · stem · ball · spell

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. mug — a face
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. scale — in music
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — a short time
  16. march — the month
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mine — belonging to me

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