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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 120 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: ruler · spell · mine · calf · trunk · nail · temple · sharp

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spell — magic
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ruler — for measuring

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