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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: content · drill · sharp · trunk · pop · temple · patient · deal

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pop — soda
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — the amount
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — to handle
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pop — music
  19. drill — army training
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. content — happy
  22. sharp — clever
  23. drill — the tool
  24. deal — a big deal

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