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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: board · rock · bat · trunk · chest · wound · temple · bear

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. board — to get on
  3. bat — the animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rock — music
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chest — of your body
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. chest — a box
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chest — of your body

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