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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: cabinet · hand · mug · drill · can · clip · face · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mug — to rob
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. face — to confront
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — army training
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tear — from crying
  14. face — to point toward
  15. clip — a video
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. hand — help
  20. mug — a face
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hand — in cards

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