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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: bound · wake · temple · fall · bulb · scale · plane · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. scale — in music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. scale — size or range
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — the season
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bound — certain
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bound — obliged
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wake — a trail

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