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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: arm · trunk · temple · season · clip · firm · nail · snap

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. firm — steady
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. firm — a company
  12. clip — for paper
  13. season — in sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. firm — decided
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. snap — to click
  24. temple — side of the head

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