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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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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: lean · pass · field · last · bore · temple · trunk · sharp

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — to tire
  5. field — for sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — a subject
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pass — a permit
  17. last — to go on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. sharp — clever
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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