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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: fall · coach · arm · track · squash · mine · ground · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ground — crushed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. track — to keep track
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ground — the earth
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a song
  20. ground — a position
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a path

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