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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: bore · sharp · fan · mine · club · land · bark · coach

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — for digging
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. land — to come down
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — for dancing
  24. land — a country

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