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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. can — to be able to
  6. tear — to rip
  7. can — a tin
  8. board — a committee
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. row — a line
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. board — to get on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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