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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.

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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: drill · lash · roll · tear · fine · capital · tube · leaves

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — high quality
  4. capital — money
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. capital — a city
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fine — all right
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. roll — a list
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. leaves — lets stay

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