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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: lie · mine · stock · clip · temple · scale · pop · bore

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — goods
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stock — shares
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pop — soda
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. clip — a video
  23. pop — music
  24. bore — to tire

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