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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · wake · cold · trunk · rush · temple · leaves · lash

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wake — a trail
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. trunk — of a tree

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