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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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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: tear · face · root · file · can · drill · pound · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. file — a tool
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. face — part of the head
  10. file — a line of people
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pound — a weight
  13. drill — army training
  14. root — the cause
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — final
  19. drill — the tool
  20. last — finally
  21. drill — a practice
  22. file — a document
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. root — of a word

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