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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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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 · rock · field · drill · land · stand · plane · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. stand — to bear
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — a practice
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. drill — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. land — to come down
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. drill — army training

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