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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: wave · pit · hand · firm · drill · wound · pitcher · tear

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. firm — decided
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. firm — steady
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hand — help
  8. firm — a company
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. drill — a practice
  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