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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: cell · drill · trunk · safe · pop · row · rule · temple

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. row — a line
  3. pop — music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. drill — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. drill — a practice
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pop — soda
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. drill — army training
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. pop — to visit
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. row — to paddle
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. row — a quarrel

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