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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: hand · rush · court · fan · temple · chest · plane · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — help
  8. court — for sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — hurry
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. plane — a tool
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. trunk — of a car
  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