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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: ruler · cell · temple · arm · lie · clip · spring · pitcher

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — a coil
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — the season
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lie — to recline
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. arm — a part of something

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