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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spring — of water
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — to wash
  16. spring — the season
  17. bound — certain
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. craft — boats
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. trunk — of a tree

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