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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 · drill · bay · mine · straw · bowl · wound · deal

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — to rip
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. drill — army training
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. deal — to handle

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