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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: wind · drill · mouse · pass · field · bark · foot · jam

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. field — for sport
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. drill — army training
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bark — to shout
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wind — moving air
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. foot — a measure
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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