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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — music
  6. last — to go on
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. last — final
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — the amount
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. march — the month
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — the tool
  20. content — happy
  21. bark — to shout
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. arm — part of the body

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