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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: file · scale · roll · bore · temple · net · bound · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — certain
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bound — obliged
  10. roll — a list
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bore — to tire
  23. net — for catching
  24. roll — a cake

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