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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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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: nail · temple · saw · press · cell · vault

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cell — in biology
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. saw — the tool
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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