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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: wound · can · straw · trunk · temple · pit · safe · shower

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — a hole
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. can — a tin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — rain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — to wash
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. safe — a strongbox

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