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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 120 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: tear · drill · mark · deal · fall · firm

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. firm — a company
  4. fall — the season
  5. tear — to rip
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. firm — steady
  10. mark — a trace
  11. firm — decided
  12. drill — the tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — army training
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — a practice

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