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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: rash · bank · arm · scale · trunk · band · degree · temple

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. band — a ring
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — an amount
  22. scale — size or range
  23. band — a music group
  24. arm — part of the 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