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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 · field · track · plane · drill · rush · leaves · bore

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. track — a path
  2. bore — to drill
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rush — hurry
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. drill — army training
  17. plane — a tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — the tool
  23. field — for sport
  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