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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: rock · temple · saw · ruler · racket · shower · lean · clip

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rock — music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lean — to bend
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rock — a stone
  22. lean — thin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. temple — side of the head

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