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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. 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. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stock — shares
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stock — goods
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. 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