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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. file — a tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a document
  13. fall — to drop
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. drill — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a line of people
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — a practice

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