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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 116 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: bark · last · lean · field · calf · bound · drill · coach

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lean — thin
  3. field — a subject
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — finally
  11. bound — certain
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. drill — army training
  14. field — farmland
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — final
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. drill — a practice
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — to go on
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. field — for sport
  24. lean — to bend

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