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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — army training
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitch — completely
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. craft — a skill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. craft — boats
  23. row — a line
  24. rush — to hurry

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