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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: can · stem · coach · march · spell · last · drill · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. can — to be able to
  4. last — finally
  5. drill — army training
  6. march — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. spell — magic
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tear — to rip
  14. last — final
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — to go on
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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