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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · dip · press · present · field · bark · march · drill

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. press — to push
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. stand — to bear
  9. drill — a practice
  10. field — farmland
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — there
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. present — the time now
  18. press — a publisher
  19. drill — army training
  20. march — the month
  21. press — newspapers
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. present — a gift
  24. field — for sport

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