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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: craft · kid · leaves · prune · trunk · temple · chip · field

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chip — to eat
  3. craft — a skill
  4. prune — to trim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — a subject
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — for sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — child
  23. temple — side of the head
  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