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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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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 · land · last · rule · temple · foot · rush · roll

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. rush — hurry
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rule — a law
  9. foot — a measure
  10. last — finally
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rule — government
  20. roll — a list
  21. land — to come down
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. temple — side of the head

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