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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tear — to rip
  7. current — happening now
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. toast — bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. band — a ring
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. band — a music group
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. current — electric

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