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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: toast · pitcher · trunk · drill · club · wind · bark · temple

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. drill — the tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. toast — bread
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — for dancing
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — for golf
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — a group
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wind — moving air

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