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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: tube · fall · arm · trunk · foot · jam · march · temple

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — the underground
  3. foot — a measure
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. march — the month
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — a container
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fall — the season
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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