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

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — a series
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. plane — a tool
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — for digging
  24. jam — a tight spot

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