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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — crushed
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a ring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — a position
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. band — a music group
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — army training

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