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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. drill — a practice
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. drill — army training
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — a contest
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tear — to rip
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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