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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: straw · arm · cell · temple · clip · ruler

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. clip — to cut
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cell — in biology
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — a video
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — a phone

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