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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: drill · saw · bass · land · fork · club · perch · field

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. land — a country
  4. club — for dancing
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — a group
  7. field — a subject
  8. land — ground
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — farmland
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. field — for sport
  16. fork — in a road
  17. perch — the fish
  18. drill — army training
  19. club — for golf
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. saw — 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