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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: nail · current · trunk · temple · patient · wind · march · arm

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — of water
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  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