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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: wake · mine · arm · key · ruler · tear · vault · row

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. key — the most important part
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wake — a trail
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. key — in music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. row — to paddle
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. row — a line
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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