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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 120 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: key · bore · stock · shower · coach · drill · club · wave

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. club — a group
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. key — in music

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