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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 · pass · roll · tear · file · suit · branch · ground

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. file — a line of people
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — to fit
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. suit — in cards
  13. drill — a practice
  14. roll — a list
  15. tear — to rip
  16. drill — army training
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. ground — crushed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — a permit
  22. file — a document
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. branch — of a bank

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