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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: fan · jam · drill · scale · bark · face · mark · bore

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. face — to confront
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bore — to drill
  10. face — part of the head
  11. drill — army training
  12. mark — a trace
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bark — to shout
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. jam — a tight spot

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