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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 116 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: ground · tear · rest · drill · branch · pitch · mouse · content

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — a division
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rest — a break
  7. tear — from crying
  8. content — the amount
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ground — the earth
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — happy
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rest — what's left

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