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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: wave · nail · mine · drill · coach · roll · bark · plane

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. drill — army training
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. roll — a cake
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. drill — the tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. roll — a list
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mine — for digging

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