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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — of ice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — army training
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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