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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. drill — army training
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wind — moving air
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — a division
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — a phone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tear — to rip

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