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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.

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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: sharp · ground · bowl · spring · nail · drill · key · temple

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — army training
  4. ground — crushed
  5. key — for a lock
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spring — the season
  8. ground — the earth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. key — in music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. key — the most important part
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — a position
  16. drill — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bowl — a football final

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