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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: mine · wound · ball · trunk · ground · game · lie · temple

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ground — a position
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — for digging
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ground — the earth
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lie — to recline
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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