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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: dip · fan · hand · lean · drill · chest · capital · temple

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. hand — help
  10. chest — a box
  11. lean — thin
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. drill — a practice
  14. dip — to sink
  15. capital — money
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. lean — to bend
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. hand — in cards

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