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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: pound · stock · lie · trunk · ground · mine · ball · pit

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — goods
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pit — a hole
  20. ground — a position
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mine — an explosive

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