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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · shower · fan · toast · march · straw · temple · plane

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. shower — rain
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. toast — bread
  12. march — music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — the month

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