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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 120 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cell — a phone
  5. drill — army training
  6. suit — clothes
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. suit — to fit
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. swing — in golf
  22. game — wild animals
  23. drill — a practice
  24. suit — in cards

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