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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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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: fall · tear · racket · track · bark · craft · drill · rule

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rule — a law
  3. craft — a skill
  4. drill — a practice
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. track — to keep track
  7. craft — boats
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — government
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fall — the season
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. bark — to shout
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. track — a path

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