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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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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: hand · field · file · safe · board · drill · fall · perch

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — a subject
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — to get on
  10. hand — help
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a document
  13. fall — the season
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. board — a committee
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — a practice

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