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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: land · tear · rock · sharp · plane · race · lie · drill

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. land — ground
  3. drill — a practice
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. race — the arms race
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — humankind
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. land — a country
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. plane — a tool

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