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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 120 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: temple · tube · hand · court · mine · rush · wave · trunk

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. court — of law
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. hand — help
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tube — a container
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. court — for sport

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