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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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. board — to get on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. board — a committee
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cap — a lid
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bark — to shout
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. drill — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cap — of ice
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cell — a phone

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