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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: coach · bowl · patient · dip · mine · tear · drill · craft

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. tear — to rip
  19. craft — boats
  20. drill — army training
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — a practice
  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