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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: trunk · degree · charge · face · wake · pit · temple · present

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. charge — a price
  3. face — to confront
  4. degree — from a university
  5. face — to point toward
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. face — part of the head
  10. present — a gift
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. charge — in control
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pit — in a race
  18. present — there
  19. degree — an amount
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. present — the time now
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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