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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: straw · bear · rule · rock · tear · drill

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. rule — government
  2. rock — music
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — a law
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bear — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. drill — army training
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  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