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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: coach · craft · rock · race · stand · mine · bound · drill

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mine — for digging
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rock — music
  10. craft — boats
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. craft — a skill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. stand — to bear
  22. race — the arms race
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. coach — a trainer

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