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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: race · tear · fan · temple · trunk · scale · ball · patient

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. race — the arms race
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — in music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. race — humankind
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a great time
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. race — a contest
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a dance

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