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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: nail · fall · kid · lean · chest · file · temple · saw

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kid — child
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. file — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — the season
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — thin
  24. 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