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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: press · drill · bark · field · bank · march · bound · bear

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — for sport
  6. press — newspapers
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. press — to push
  13. bank — for money
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. field — a subject
  17. march — music
  18. bank — for money
  19. bound — certain
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — army training
  23. bear — the animal
  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