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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: drill · temple · suit · mine · pop · squash · object · spring

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. squash — the sport
  3. object — to protest
  4. drill — army training
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pop — soda
  7. object — an aim
  8. suit — clothes
  9. spring — the season
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. object — a thing
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — to visit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. squash — to crush
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pop — music
  24. mine — belonging to me

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