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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a song
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — a path
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — the tool
  14. plane — a tool
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. march — the month
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. march — the month
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. march — music

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