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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.

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: drill · lie · bat · spring · trunk · dip · temple · march

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. march — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — of water
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. drill — army training
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. drill — a practice
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — the animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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