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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: date · clip · pitcher · charge · tear · ruler · pound · drill

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pound — a weight
  5. drill — army training
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — the tool
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. clip — a video
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. charge — in control
  23. drill — a practice
  24. date — the fruit

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