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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
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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: object · rush · row · cap · trunk · present · temple · root

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. present — there
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cap — a lid
  5. present — a gift
  6. object — a thing
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. root — of a word
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. present — the time now
  16. object — to protest
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cap — a hat
  19. root — the cause
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. object — an aim
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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