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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.

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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: band · foot · temple · press · calf · plane · trunk · content

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. content — happy
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. press — a publisher
  5. content — the amount
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. plane — a tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. band — a music group
  20. press — to push
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a car

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