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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 116 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: bark · squash · hide · wind · field · drill · bay · saw

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — to shout
  3. field — a subject
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. field — for sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. saw — the tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — farmland
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wind — moving air
  17. drill — army training
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. squash — the sport
  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