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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: trunk · fork · pop · band · row · lean · bay · temple

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. band — a ring
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. row — a line
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lean — thin
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pop — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — soda
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. row — to paddle
  22. band — a music group
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pop — to visit

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