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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: stand · key · drill · wound · content · mouse · saw · tear

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. tear — to rip
  6. content — the amount
  7. stand — to bear
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — in music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — happy
  24. key — for a lock

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