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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: temple · cell · mouse · degree · pop · craft · scale · pound

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. scale — in music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. craft — a skill
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pop — to visit
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. craft — boats
  16. pop — soda
  17. cell — in biology
  18. degree — an amount
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. scale — size or range

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