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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: dip · drill · race · straw · tear · hide

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. dip — to sink
  10. race — a contest
  11. drill — a practice
  12. race — the arms race
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. drill — army training
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret

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