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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: rock · drill · tear · saw · sharp · stand · rash · file

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rock — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a document
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rock — a stone
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stand — to bear

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