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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: field · arm · nail · temple · mate · fall · rule · trunk

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. field — for sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rule — government
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — a partner
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — the season
  18. field — a subject
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rule — a law
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. nail — on a finger

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