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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: sharp · tear · rest · wake · pitcher · rush · wind · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rest — a break
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wind — moving air
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — moving air

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