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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stem — to come from
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. vault — a safe
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lie — to recline
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. snap — to click
  24. trunk — of a car

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