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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 112 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · drill · wave · bark · last · fall

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. last — finally
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — the season
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. last — to go on
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. drill — army training
  17. last — final
  18. cap — a hat

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