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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. last — final
  3. bank — for money
  4. land — to come down
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — the earth
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chip — for betting
  12. last — to go on
  13. ground — a position
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — crushed
  16. land — ground
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. land — a country
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — finally

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