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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. hand — in cards
  7. file — a document
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — a container
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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