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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. band — a ring
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lie — to recline
  9. band — a music group
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — help
  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