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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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Word bank
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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: temple · mug · fork · nail · trunk · kid · net · present

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — there
  11. mug — to rob
  12. net — for catching
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — child
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mug — a face
  23. net — after costs
  24. temple — a place of worship

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