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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 120 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: bound · row · tear · land · drill · mug · ground · bear

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — a country
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — ground
  12. drill — army training
  13. row — to paddle
  14. ground — a position
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — a face
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ground — the earth
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bear — the animal

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