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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: mine · firm · squash · drill · racket · capital · bark · temple

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — to crush
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. capital — a city
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. firm — a company
  12. capital — money
  13. bark — to shout
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. squash — the sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. temple — a place of worship

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