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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tear — to rip
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. drill — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. content — the amount
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. content — happy
  24. row — to paddle

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