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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — to wash
  5. branch — a division
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rule — government
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chip — to eat
  15. drill — army training
  16. chip — for betting
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. shower — rain
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rule — a law
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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