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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 · bank · season · cue · track · lie · drill · temple

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bank — for money
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — a path
  9. cue — a signal
  10. track — a song
  11. bank — for money
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. season — of the year
  15. cue — for pool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ground — crushed
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. season — in sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ground — the earth

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