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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a ring
  3. drill — the tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. drill — a practice
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a music group
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. drill — army training

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