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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. toast — bread
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fine — all right
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. temple — side of the head

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