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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · racket · trunk · lie · dip · march · temple · vault

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. drill — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lie — to recline
  11. dip — to sink
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — a practice
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lie — an untruth

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