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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. drill — a practice
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — the tool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — a break
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. drill — army training
  13. rest — what's left
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rest — what's left
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — a song
  23. leaves — to go away
  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