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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: staff · mine · file · wound · sharp · temple · bound · nail

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bound — tied together
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a document
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. file — a tool
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. sharp — clever
  24. staff — a stick

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