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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: deal · temple · cell · sharp · bowl · wind · trunk · patient

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cell — a phone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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