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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · wake · drill · field · club · fork · kick · rash

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fork — in a road
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — a series
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for golf
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — for sport
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. club — for dancing
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kick — in football
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. field — farmland
  23. club — a group
  24. field — a subject

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