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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 120 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: drill · bass · bore · key · mark · spring · coach · rock

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. key — the most important part
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. key — in music
  8. bore — to tire
  9. spring — of water
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bass — low music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bore — to drill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mark — a trace
  23. drill — army training
  24. bass — the fish

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