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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: snap · pit · trunk · spring · content · temple · staff · field

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — farmland
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pit — in a race
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. snap — to click
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. field — a subject
  22. staff — employees
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. content — happy

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