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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: trunk · lie · mine · roll · ball · chip · temple · plane

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chip — to eat
  6. ball — a great time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. roll — a cake
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ball — a dance
  17. roll — a list
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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