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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fall — the season
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — a box
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. fall — to drop

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