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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: sharp · prune · tube · court · temple · trunk · saw · nail

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. court — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — a container
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. sharp — clever
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — the underground
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. prune — to trim

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