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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: land · drill · bark · press · content · fall · board · mug

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — army training
  5. mug — a face
  6. land — a country
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. content — happy
  11. board — a committee
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — ground
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — a practice
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. press — to push
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. board — to get on
  23. press — a publisher
  24. drill — the tool

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