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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: foot · wound · temple · fan · roll · bark · tear · trunk

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — to shout
  22. roll — a list
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — side of the head

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