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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 116 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: march · drill · lash · fine · fall · tear · row · root

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — the season
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. march — the month
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — all right
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — high quality
  19. march — the month
  20. drill — a practice
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. root — of a word

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