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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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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: temple · bat · pit · stick · root · trunk · band · game

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — the cause
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a music group
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. game — a match
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. root — of a word
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — of a plant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pit — a hole
  24. band — a ring

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