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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.

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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: trunk · sharp · bat · row · temple · spring · dip · fork

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. spring — of water
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fork — in a road
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. row — a line
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — to sink
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fork — a garden tool

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