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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: arm · ground · row · chest · coach · drill · fine · bound

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. fine — high quality
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. drill — a practice
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — army training
  22. bound — certain
  23. chest — of your body
  24. arm — part of the body

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