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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — army training
  11. stand — to bear
  12. scale — in music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fork — in a road
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lean — thin
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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