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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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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: rock · rest · tear · mine · sharp · drill · fork · mate

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mate — to breed
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rock — a stone
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rock — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — a partner
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rest — a break

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