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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: content · arm · mate · lie · drill · bark · fan · tear

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. drill — army training
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. content — the amount
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tear — to rip
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mate — a friend
  22. drill — a practice
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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