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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: coach · chest · pop · can · land · fall · row · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — a country
  7. pop — soda
  8. bore — to tire
  9. chest — a box
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pop — to visit
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pop — music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fall — to drop
  20. land — to come down
  21. row — a line
  22. fall — the season
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. can — to be able to

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