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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: jam · leaves · trunk · mouse · fork · chest · temple · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fork — in a road
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. chest — a box

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