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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · fan · arm · rule · perch · lean · trunk · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lean — to bend
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — farmland
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. field — for sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rule — government
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rule — a law

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