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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. deal — to handle
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. band — a ring
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — the tool

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