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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: staff · present · march · shower · field · spring · drill · firm

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — to wash
  4. drill — army training
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — for sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. staff — a stick
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — of water
  17. shower — rain
  18. spring — the season
  19. firm — a company
  20. present — a gift
  21. firm — decided
  22. drill — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. firm — steady

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