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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · drill · stem · tear · march · date · rash · rush

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. 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. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — hasty
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. rush — hurry
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — the month
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — to come from
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tear — from crying
  21. march — music
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. 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