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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: drill · hand · coach · bowl · prune · staff · mate · face

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. drill — army training
  7. hand — in cards
  8. face — to point toward
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. face — to confront
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mate — to breed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — part of the head
  20. staff — employees
  21. mate — a partner
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — help
  24. coach — a trainer

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