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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: season · key · mine · nail · drill · temple · roll · ground

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ground — a position
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — crushed
  5. roll — a cake
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — the earth
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. key — the most important part
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — for a lock
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. season — in sport
  19. mine — for digging
  20. season — of the year
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. roll — a list
  24. nail — for a hammer

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