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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: tube · rash · toast · coach · bass · nail · perch · drill

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bass — the fish
  7. drill — the tool
  8. toast — bread
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rash — a series
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — low music
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tube — a container
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — the underground
  24. drill — army training

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