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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. prune — to trim
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rule — government
  9. object — to protest
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — farmland
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. object — a thing
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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