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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mate — a partner
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. roll — a list
  7. hand — in cards
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tear — from crying
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mate — to breed
  20. drill — a practice
  21. roll — a cake
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — help
  24. tear — from crying

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