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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
468
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: arm · tear · drill · mark · bat · leaves · plane · stock

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — shares
  3. drill — army training
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tear — to rip
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stock — goods
  24. bat — in an idiom

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