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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: saw · cue · field · bark · wind · mark · drill · pitcher

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — a hint
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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