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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: mine · object · track · rest · coach · spell · roll · drill

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. roll — a cake
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. track — a song
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spell — letters
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — to keep track
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. roll — a list
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a path
  23. rest — a break
  24. spell — a short time

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