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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 120 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 · stick · cold · lie · trunk · scale · temple · land

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. land — ground
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cold — not warm
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lie — to recline
  14. scale — in music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. land — a country
  19. ground — a position
  20. cold — an illness
  21. land — to come down
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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