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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
468
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 · rash · drill · leaves · bass · field · bear · row

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — a practice
  8. field — for sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — hasty
  11. drill — army training
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bass — low music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. field — a subject
  22. row — a line
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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