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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: drill · hand · plane · cabinet · saw · tear · stock · wave

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — to rip
  15. plane — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — shares
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — goods
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. drill — the 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