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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: saw · temple · ground · trunk · patient · foot · spell · court

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. ground — the earth
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. court — of a king
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spell — letters
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — magic
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spell — a short time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. ground — crushed
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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