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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: drill · face · wind · tear · squash · scale · wound · arm

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. face — to point toward
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tear — to rip
  10. squash — to crush
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — in music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. drill — army training

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