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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: deal · temple · ruler · foot · tear · clip

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. tear — to rip
  3. foot — a measure
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. clip — to cut
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. clip — for paper
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. tear — from crying
  14. clip — a video
  15. tear — from crying
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. deal — to handle
  18. temple — a place of worship

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