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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: ball · temple · trunk · band · ground · jam · file · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ball — a great time
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. band — a ring
  9. file — a line of people
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. file — a document
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ground — a position
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. band — a music group
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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