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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rash — a series
  5. drill — a practice
  6. tear — to rip
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — to come from
  10. swing — music
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rash — hasty
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rule — government
  20. swing — in golf
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — temperature

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