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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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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: pitch · tear · drill · stand · rock · cabinet · wound · shower

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — to rip
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — rain
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rock — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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