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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
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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 · drill · pound · suit · field · date · can · chest

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. drill — the tool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. chest — a box
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. suit — in cards
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. chest — of your body

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