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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.

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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: fine · bark · hide · rock · field · arm · scale · drill

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. drill — army training
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. drill — the tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — to shout
  16. drill — a practice
  17. field — a subject
  18. fine — high quality
  19. field — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rock — music
  24. bark — of a tree

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