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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: temple · ground · current · land · fork · chest · pound · rock

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. fork — in a road
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. land — ground
  6. current — happening now
  7. ground — a position
  8. current — of water
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pound — a weight
  16. current — electric
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. chest — a box
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rock — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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