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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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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: stem · arm · trunk · shower · foot · temple · tube · pit

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. foot — a measure
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stem — to come from
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — the underground
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pit — in a race
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pit — a hole
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. tube — a container
  24. arm — part of the body

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