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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rest — a break
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — for light
  22. vault — a safe
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. trunk — of a tree

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