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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. march — music
  12. object — to protest
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. march — the month
  15. object — an aim
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. march — the month
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. object — a thing

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