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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: wind · hand · leaves · bulb · coach · race · drill · present

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — the time now
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. race — a contest
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. drill — army training
  18. race — humankind
  19. hand — in cards
  20. drill — a practice
  21. race — the arms race
  22. present — there
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bulb — for light

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