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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
468
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: temple · jam · safe · season · trunk · last · vault · patient

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. last — to go on
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — a safe
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — of the year
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. safe — out of danger
  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