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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. season — in sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. object — a thing
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fine — all right
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — high quality
  20. object — an aim
  21. drill — a practice
  22. club — for golf
  23. drill — army training
  24. tear — to rip

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