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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cold — an illness
  3. race — a contest
  4. cold — not warm
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. firm — steady
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ball — a great time
  10. race — humankind
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. firm — a company
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. drill — army training
  16. firm — decided
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. race — the arms race
  19. branch — a division
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tear — from crying

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