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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stand — to bear
  7. race — humankind
  8. drill — a practice
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. drill — army training
  17. track — a path
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — for a bird

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