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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 · sharp · net · bound · mug · temple · track · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. net — after costs
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — certain
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. track — a song
  13. bound — tied together
  14. present — the time now
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. present — there
  17. track — a path
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mug — a cup
  20. track — to keep track
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — a face
  24. temple — a place of worship

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