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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 · staff · file · last · saw · pass · current · drill

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. last — to go on
  3. file — a tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — of water
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. file — a document
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. staff — a stick
  14. drill — army training
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pass — a permit
  17. last — finally
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. current — electric
  23. last — final
  24. drill — a practice

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