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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: hide · temple · staff · bore · lean · land · ground · trunk

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bore — to drill
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ground — a position
  12. staff — employees
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — thin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bore — to tire
  24. land — a country

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