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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: temple · current · lean · degree · patient · game · ground · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. degree — from a university
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lean — thin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. degree — temperature
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. degree — an amount
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — electric
  19. game — a match
  20. ground — a position
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lean — to bend
  24. temple — a place of worship

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