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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · roll · field · trunk · temple · plane · kick · band

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. roll — a cake
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — help
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. kick — in football
  11. plane — a tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. roll — a list
  15. band — a music group
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — for sport
  18. band — a ring
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. field — a subject
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hand — part of the body
  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