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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: bound · rest · leaves · kid · temple · jam · trunk · track

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — a path
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. track — a song
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rest — a break
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — to tease
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — child
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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