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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. last — final
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. clip — to cut
  5. firm — decided
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. drill — the tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. firm — steady
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. firm — a company
  22. clip — a video
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. temple — a place of worship

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