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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: wind · fork · stick · drill · tear · arm

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. drill — army training
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — in a road
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air

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