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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — army training
  5. tear — from crying
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. squash — to crush
  9. season — of the year
  10. clip — for paper
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. season — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — certain
  18. drill — a practice
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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