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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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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: pound · fall · wake · face · drill · craft · mark · chest

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fall — the season
  4. drill — a practice
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. drill — the tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. craft — a skill
  15. face — to confront
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. craft — boats
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chest — a box
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pound — a weight

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