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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 120 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: field · bark · mouse · tube · drill · prune · bay · plane

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. field — farmland
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. field — for sport
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — a practice
  16. tube — a container
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. field — a subject
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. prune — to trim

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