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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. shower — to wash
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. roll — a cake
  13. drill — a practice
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — a division
  16. shower — rain
  17. cue — a hint
  18. roll — a list
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. drill — army training
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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