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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 · bore · hide · vault · temple · sharp · season · wake

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bore — to drill
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. ground — the earth
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wake — a trail
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — in sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. season — of the year
  19. ground — a position
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ground — crushed

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