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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. drill — a practice
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — rain
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — for light
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kick — in football
  18. drill — army training
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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