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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 120 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: arm · bowl · cue · temple · stem · vault · rash · mark

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cue — a hint
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rash — a series
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stem — of a plant

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