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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: coach · drill · march · wound · hide · net · arm · jam

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. net — after costs
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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