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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: face · trunk · band · cabinet · temple · pit · root · sharp

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pit — in a race
  7. band — a music group
  8. face — to confront
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. root — of a word
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. face — to point toward
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a hole
  18. band — a ring
  19. root — of a plant
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. root — the cause
  22. sharp — clever
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. face — part of the head

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