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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: calf · drill · bark · wake · game · race · saw · bowl

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — a match
  5. drill — army training
  6. bark — to shout
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. race — a contest
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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