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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 124 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. drill — army training
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — the tool
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tear — from crying
  11. file — a tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a line of people
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. tear — to rip
  21. file — a document
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. dip — to dunk

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