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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: sharp · kick · object · row · shower · wax · drill · tear

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tear — from crying
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — rain
  6. kick — in football
  7. wax — to grow
  8. drill — the tool
  9. row — a line
  10. object — to protest
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — to wash
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. drill — army training
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. object — an aim
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. object — a thing

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