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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: rock · mouse · tear · scale · row · drill · fork · face

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tear — to rip
  4. drill — a practice
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — in a road
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rock — a stone
  11. face — part of the head
  12. drill — army training
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. scale — in music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. row — a line

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