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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rest · bowl · mine · pop · drill · temple · patient

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rest — a break
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. drill — army training
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — soda
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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