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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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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: object · drill · ball · present · tear · fall · dip · march

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — army training
  4. present — a gift
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. tear — to rip
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — music
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. object — an aim
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — a practice
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ball — a dance
  19. present — the time now
  20. object — to protest
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. object — a thing
  24. fall — the season

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