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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: calf · tear · coach · drill · stem · hand · game · ground

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — a practice
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. game — a match
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. drill — army training
  20. ground — a position
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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