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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · rush · mate · temple · mug · field · toast · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cold — not warm
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — a subject
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — farmland
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. toast — bread
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mug — a cup
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mate — a friend
  20. field — for sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cold — an illness
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rush — hurry

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