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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. object — an aim
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. object — a thing
  11. fall — the season
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — army training
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — a series
  22. object — to protest
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — a practice

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