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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: race · spell · mouse · pop · tear · rest · roll · drill

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pop — music
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. drill — army training
  6. spell — letters
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — the arms race
  9. roll — a list
  10. race — a contest
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — a cake
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. race — humankind
  20. pop — soda
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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