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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. foot — a measure
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — farmland
  24. foot — the bottom

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