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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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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: cabinet · drill · tear · lash · spring · pit · chair · foot

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spring — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. drill — army training
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pit — in a race
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — a coil
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tear — to rip

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