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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. firm — steady
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. branch — a division
  7. tear — from crying
  8. firm — decided
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — to push
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — newspapers
  13. firm — a company
  14. pass — a permit
  15. clip — a video
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — army training
  21. game — a match
  22. tear — to rip
  23. drill — the tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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