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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · drill · bark · tear · hand · nail · wake · racket

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wake — a trail
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. drill — army training
  24. date — on the calendar

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