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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 120 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: hand · saw · temple · racket · capital · rush · nail · wake

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. capital — money
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rush — hurry
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — a city
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — help

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