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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 116 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: leaves · tear · board · net · drill · suit · march · mug

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. net — after costs
  3. suit — clothes
  4. tear — from crying
  5. suit — in cards
  6. march — the month
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. march — the month
  11. net — for catching
  12. mug — a cup
  13. march — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — army training
  16. mug — a face
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mug — to rob
  20. net — in sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. suit — to fit
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. drill — a practice

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