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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · roll · tear · drill · bank · rule

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tear — from crying
  4. roll — a list
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bank — of a river
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. bank — for money
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. drill — army training
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tear — to rip
  18. calf — a young animal

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