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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. drill — army training
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — of the year
  7. field — farmland
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cell — in biology
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. field — a subject
  12. stock — shares
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stock — goods
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. drill — a practice
  20. plane — a tool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. field — for sport
  24. season — in sport

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