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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: board · field · can · bark · staff · prune · wake · drill

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. board — to get on
  3. drill — army training
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — a trail
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. board — a committee
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. field — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. can — to be able to

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