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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. band — a ring
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rest — what's left
  6. drill — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. drill — army training
  10. band — a music group
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — a practice
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. race — a contest
  22. rest — a break
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. band — a rubber band

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