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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: mug · clip · temple · trunk · hand · drill · arm · plane

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — army training
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. plane — a tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mug — a face
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hand — help
  24. temple — a place of worship

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