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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: bark · mark · firm · pitcher · saw · drill · bear · mine

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mine — for digging
  6. firm — a company
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mark — a trace
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. firm — steady
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — decided
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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