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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — in cards
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — army training
  16. mug — a face
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hand — help
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — to rob

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