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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: tear · bear · cabinet · rest · mine · leaves · drill · arm

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. drill — army training
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — a break

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