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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: nail · ground · trunk · pound · mine · mark · bear · roll

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. roll — a list
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ground — crushed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bear — the animal
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mark — a grade
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. roll — a cake

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