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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: wake · kid · field · drill · bark · bay · capital · suit

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. capital — a city
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kid — child
  13. field — for sport
  14. capital — money
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. suit — in cards
  17. field — a subject
  18. suit — clothes
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. field — farmland
  22. bark — to shout
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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