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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a music group
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. tear — to rip
  5. drill — army training
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pop — music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. pop — soda
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pop — to visit
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a rubber band

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