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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 120 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: drill · dip · row · chest · can · snap · tear · patient

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — army training
  4. can — to be able to
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. drill — the tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chest — a box
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — of your body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. dip — to sink
  23. can — a tin
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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