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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.

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: march · leaves · fan · mug · drill · ball · sharp · tear

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — army training
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mug — a cup
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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