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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: spring · tear · cabinet · pit · drill · hand · saw · race

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. race — the arms race
  3. drill — army training
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — a contest
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — the season
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. drill — the tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — of water
  22. tear — to rip
  23. hand — help
  24. spring — a coil

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