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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: club · chest · lean · drill · ruler · tear

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chest — of your body
  9. club — for golf
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — thin
  15. club — a group
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chest — a box

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