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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 116 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: file · bark · drill · board · cabinet · mark · season · mate

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. season — of the year
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — a committee
  5. file — a tool
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. drill — army training
  11. board — to get on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. file — a document
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mate — a friend
  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