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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: squash · bank · drill · hand · kid · temple · rash · fine

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — high quality
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fine — all right
  6. squash — the sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. drill — army training
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hand — help
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rash — a series
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. drill — a practice

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