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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bank — for money
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tear — to rip
  9. land — to come down
  10. mine — for digging
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — a country
  15. cap — of ice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bank — for money
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. land — ground
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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