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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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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: sharp · land · drill · bark · snap · firm · pass · mine

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bark — to shout
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — ground
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. land — to come down
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. land — a country
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pass — a permit
  20. drill — a practice
  21. firm — decided
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. drill — army training

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