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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wound — an injury
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — soda
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pop — music
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — for catching
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — after costs
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wound — an injury

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