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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · coach · tube · spring · game · kid · drill · rest

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. spring — a coil
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — army training
  7. kid — child
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — of water
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rest — a break
  15. rock — a stone
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rock — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spring — the season
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tube — in a tire

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