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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: saw · squash · tear · drill · mate · rush · wound · staff

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. drill — army training
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mate — a friend
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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