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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: drill · tear · mug · roll · fine · ruler · field · date

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mug — to rob
  9. roll — a list
  10. drill — a practice
  11. field — a subject
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — army training
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. drill — the tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fine — all right

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