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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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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: mark · face · drill · ruler · snap · tear · wake · rash

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — a series
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. snap — to click
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mark — a trace
  17. face — part of the head
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — to confront
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rash — hasty
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tear — from crying

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