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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. last — final
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bank — for money
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — a practice
  11. last — to go on
  12. bank — for money
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mate — to breed
  17. last — finally
  18. stem — to come from
  19. drill — the tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stem — a stem cell

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