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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
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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 · last · squash · cell · bark · bank · drill · firm

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cell — in biology
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cell — a phone
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — help
  17. drill — army training
  18. bark — to shout
  19. firm — decided
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. firm — a company

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