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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
468
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: land · temple · capital · club · drill · rock · nail · arm

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. drill — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a city
  10. club — a group
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. drill — a practice
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — music
  17. drill — army training
  18. land — a country
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — a stone
  21. club — for dancing
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. capital — money
  24. arm — a part of something

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