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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: temple · roll · track · prune · drill · ground · cabinet · trunk

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. ground — a position
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — a practice
  5. roll — a list
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. ground — crushed
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. track — a song
  14. roll — a cake
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — to keep track
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. drill — the tool
  21. track — a path
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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