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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: ground · mine · wound · straw · pit · temple · jam · lie

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — dry grass

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