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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: chest · ruler · arm · lean · temple · saw · vault · spring

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. 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. ruler — a monarch
  2. lean — thin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — a box
  16. spring — the season
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. vault — a safe
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. 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