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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. drill — a practice
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — a position
  8. stand — to bear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. drill — army training
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stock — goods
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stock — shares
  22. pop — soda
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — the earth

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