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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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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: bank · drill · squash · roll · temple · firm · tear · snap

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — to crush
  4. firm — steady
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bank — of a river
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — a practice
  11. roll — a cake
  12. tear — to rip
  13. roll — a list
  14. snap — to click
  15. bank — for money
  16. firm — decided
  17. bank — for money
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. squash — the sport
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. drill — army training
  23. firm — a company
  24. squash — the vegetable

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