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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: land · stock · trunk · sharp · last · temple · object · snap

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stock — goods
  6. snap — to click
  7. last — to go on
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. object — a thing
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. last — final
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. land — to come down
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. stock — shares
  20. last — finally
  21. object — an aim
  22. sharp — clever
  23. object — to protest
  24. sharp — with an edge

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