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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a music group
  8. board — a committee
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. board — to get on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. drill — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pop — soda
  21. drill — army training
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tear — to rip

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