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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · bay · temple · bowl · land · nail · bore · lie

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — soda
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. land — to come down
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — a country
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. land — ground
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bowl — a football final

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