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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: mate · field · file · game · firm · bark · drill · plane

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — a match
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — farmland
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. file — a document
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. firm — a company
  10. field — a subject
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — army training
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — a tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. firm — decided
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mate — a partner
  19. firm — steady
  20. drill — the tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mate — to breed
  24. game — a kind of play

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