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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: pound · bowl · prune · chair · cabinet · temple · arm · vault

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I put the bag on or beside 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. temple — side of the head
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. prune — to trim
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. vault — a safe
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. chair — to sit on

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