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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: chest · board · rest · temple · tube · dip · trunk · stem

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rest — what's left
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rest — a break
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stem — to come from
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — a container
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — to get on
  22. chest — a box
  23. board — a committee
  24. dip — to sink

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