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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 · cabinet · field · rush · rest · fall · drill · track

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — a subject
  5. bark — to shout
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — a practice
  8. field — farmland
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rest — a break
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. track — a path
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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