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

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — a trace
  10. squash — the sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mark — a grade
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. squash — to crush

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