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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: bound · chest · tear · ruler · temple · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chest — of your body
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chest — a box
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — a lid
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — certain
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ruler — for measuring

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