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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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Word bank
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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: tear · race · land · cap · drill · press

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — of ice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. land — ground
  5. race — humankind
  6. press — a publisher
  7. land — a country
  8. drill — army training
  9. tear — from crying
  10. race — the arms race
  11. press — to push
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. race — a contest
  15. press — newspapers
  16. land — to come down
  17. drill — a practice
  18. 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