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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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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 · current · track · staff · temple · chest · date · bowl

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. current — electric
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. current — of water
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. track — to keep track
  13. staff — a stick
  14. chest — of your body
  15. current — happening now
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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