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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — a phone
  4. drill — a practice
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rash — hasty
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — the tool

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