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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 · object · last · bark · file · club · spring · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. club — for golf
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. last — finally
  9. club — for dancing
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a document
  12. spring — a coil
  13. drill — the tool
  14. object — a thing
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — to get on
  18. drill — a practice
  19. object — an aim
  20. spring — of water
  21. club — a group
  22. last — final
  23. object — to protest
  24. bark — to shout

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