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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: staff · bowl · trunk · clip · plane · vault · drill · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. drill — the tool
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. clip — to cut
  7. vault — a safe
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. clip — a video
  14. staff — a stick
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. clip — for paper
  20. plane — a tool
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bowl — a football final

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