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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.

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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: calf · object · hand · safe · drill · cell · trunk · temple

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. object — to protest
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. object — an aim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — help
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. drill — army training
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cell — a phone
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. object — a thing
  24. cell — in biology

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